Demographics in Morocco
Morocco is situated on the northwestern coast of Africa. It shares its borders with Algeria to the east and south, and with Mauritania to the southwest. It is bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean and on the north by the Mediterranean Sea, the two expanses of water being separated by the Strait of Gibraltar, which is situated to the north of Morocco. The area of Morocco is 172,400 square miles or 710,850 square kilometers, slightly larger than the state of California. About 20 percent of the land of Morocco is arable. Fertile plains extend the length of the Atlantic coastline: in the regions from the center-north, the plain of Fès-Saiss; to the south, the plain of Souss-Massa; and to the south-southwest, the Tadla. To the east of these plains, the Atlas Mountains, which peak at 4,165 meters (Toubkal), extend from the southwest of Morocco to the confines of the Algerian borders in the northeast. To the north, the Rif Mountains connect the northwest coast of Morocco to West Algeria (l’Ouest Algérien). Among the great wealth of Morocco, along with farming and its human resources, is the mining of phosphate, which is found in great abundance in the central regions of Morocco, the city of Khouribga, and in the Moroccan Sahara. Until 1976, the Moroccan Sahara represented one of the last vestiges of French colonialism in Morocco.
In 1997, the population of Morocco was estimated at 30,391,423; in 2000, more than half of this population, 53 percent, lived in the cities. The regional distribution of the urban population remains marked by the concentration of 56 percent of this population in two areas: the center and the northwest. The axis of the cities of Casablanca-Rabat-Kenitra clusters 35 percent of the urban population of Morocco. Ethnically, Morocco is very homogeneous, with 99 percent of the population Arab-Berber. The great majority of Moroccans are Muslim (98.7 percent); 1.1 percent are Christian and 0.2 percent are Jewish. Sunni Malikite Islam is the state religion. The 1998 age distribution of the population reveals that about 80 percent of the population were less than 40 years old, the active population, 15 to 60 years old, comprised 56 percent, and those over 60 years represented only 7 percent of Moroccans. The life expectancy from birth in 2000 was 66.85 years for men and 71 years for women. The birthrate in 2000 was 25.78 per 1,000 population, the infant mortality rate was 50.96 per 1,000 live births, and the death rate was 6.12 per 1,000, for an annual natural growth of 1.96 percent. In 1998, the average Moroccan woman of fertile age was expected to bear 3.1 children (the Total Fertility Rate, TFR), placing the country 90 among 227 nations of the world. In 2000, the literacy rate in the rural areas was about 25 percent, with two thirds of the urban population being literate. With school attendance compulsory from age 7 to 13, the estimated overall literacy rate is just 50 percent and 25 percent for women (Fernea 1998:110). In 1994, Morocco had one hospital bed for 978 persons and one physician for 2,923 people. The 1997 estimated per capita Gross Domestic Product was $3,500.morocco culture,moroccan food,morocco food,moroccan cuisine,morocco beaches,moroccan meal,beaches in morocco,moroccan culture,hercules cave,hercules cave morocco
Morocco is situated on the northwestern coast of Africa. It shares its borders with Algeria to the east and south, and with Mauritania to the southwest. It is bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean and on the north by the Mediterranean Sea, the two expanses of water being separated by the Strait of Gibraltar, which is situated to the north of Morocco. The area of Morocco is 172,400 square miles or 710,850 square kilometers, slightly larger than the state of California. About 20 percent of the land of Morocco is arable. Fertile plains extend the length of the Atlantic coastline: in the regions from the center-north, the plain of Fès-Saiss; to the south, the plain of Souss-Massa; and to the south-southwest, the Tadla. To the east of these plains, the Atlas Mountains, which peak at 4,165 meters (Toubkal), extend from the southwest of Morocco to the confines of the Algerian borders in the northeast. To the north, the Rif Mountains connect the northwest coast of Morocco to West Algeria (l’Ouest Algérien). Among the great wealth of Morocco, along with farming and its human resources, is the mining of phosphate, which is found in great abundance in the central regions of Morocco, the city of Khouribga, and in the Moroccan Sahara. Until 1976, the Moroccan Sahara represented one of the last vestiges of French colonialism in Morocco.
In 1997, the population of Morocco was estimated at 30,391,423; in 2000, more than half of this population, 53 percent, lived in the cities. The regional distribution of the urban population remains marked by the concentration of 56 percent of this population in two areas: the center and the northwest. The axis of the cities of Casablanca-Rabat-Kenitra clusters 35 percent of the urban population of Morocco. Ethnically, Morocco is very homogeneous, with 99 percent of the population Arab-Berber. The great majority of Moroccans are Muslim (98.7 percent); 1.1 percent are Christian and 0.2 percent are Jewish. Sunni Malikite Islam is the state religion. The 1998 age distribution of the population reveals that about 80 percent of the population were less than 40 years old, the active population, 15 to 60 years old, comprised 56 percent, and those over 60 years represented only 7 percent of Moroccans. The life expectancy from birth in 2000 was 66.85 years for men and 71 years for women. The birthrate in 2000 was 25.78 per 1,000 population, the infant mortality rate was 50.96 per 1,000 live births, and the death rate was 6.12 per 1,000, for an annual natural growth of 1.96 percent. In 1998, the average Moroccan woman of fertile age was expected to bear 3.1 children (the Total Fertility Rate, TFR), placing the country 90 among 227 nations of the world. In 2000, the literacy rate in the rural areas was about 25 percent, with two thirds of the urban population being literate. With school attendance compulsory from age 7 to 13, the estimated overall literacy rate is just 50 percent and 25 percent for women (Fernea 1998:110). In 1994, Morocco had one hospital bed for 978 persons and one physician for 2,923 people. The 1997 estimated per capita Gross Domestic Product was $3,500.morocco culture,moroccan food,morocco food,moroccan cuisine,morocco beaches,moroccan meal,beaches in morocco,moroccan culture,hercules cave,hercules cave morocco
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